


how great are the lies we tell ourselves

by Ford_Ye_Fiji



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: :), Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Herb is there but for five seconds, Hurt/Comfort, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, anti commission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27716774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ford_Ye_Fiji/pseuds/Ford_Ye_Fiji
Summary: Diego gets distracted at the Commission and learns more about his new employer and his oldest little brother in the process.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 348





	how great are the lies we tell ourselves

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this tumblr post: https://ford-ye-fiji.tumblr.com/post/635233786028802048

“What’s all that?” Diego asks, pointing with a frown at the growing crowd around what appears to be a table. Herb frowns and then pales, “O- oh that? Ha, that’s- that’s nothing.”

Diego pauses, looking to him and then back at the clearly excited group with suspicion. Herb sweats, “C’mon, Diego,” he lowers his voice, “Revolution business remember? It’s- it’s nothing you would like- nothing _important-_ “ 

Diego’s frown deepens, “Nothing I’d like…?” 

A woman in a suit passes by, nearly sprinting and curiosity gets the better of him as he jogs after her, “Hey, excuse me- what’s going on?” 

The woman pauses, “What do mean what’s going on? They’re doing a rerun of the first episode of The Boy! It’s one of the best episodes- I can’t miss it-“ 

Herb sighs with resignation from behind him. 

The answer clears up nothing and he doesn’t bother to mask his irritation, “W- what- The Boy? The hell is that?” 

The woman blinks with surprise, “You haven’t seen The Boy?” She grabs his hand before turning, “Janet! This agent here hasn’t seen any episodes of The Boy!”

Several heads pop up, each dismayed and accompanied by gasps of horror, “He hasn’t?” 

“You _haven’t?_ ”

“That’s terrible!”

“Well, bring him over, Trisha!”

Diego doesn’t quite know what he’s gotten himself into as the crowd parts, letting him pass, the woman, Trisha, guiding him through the chaos. 

People shove and murmur excitedly as they pass by, “Hey, make room Fred you big hog, this guy hasn’t seen the show before-“ 

“Here take my seat up front, Diego, I’ve seen this twelve times already-“ 

He gets seated on a battered plastic chair, a large box television on a rolling table at the end of the crowd, directly in front of him. He frowns, maybe Herb had been right. A bunch of rabid fans watching a show wasn’t really his idea of something important. 

Trisha picked up a VHS tape with a crow of triumph, “Ha! Found it! Trust me, this is great. Makes me cry every time.”

There are murmurs behind him in the crowd and he hears, “Oh Denise, remember when he almost died of starvation?”

Denise gives an unimpressed laugh, “Rob, c’mon there’s enough drama already. You know that I’m only here for the romance-“ 

“Romance? That’s the manifestation of crippling loneliness and a mind slowly losing its grip on reality- I still don’t know how you can endorse a relationship like that, if you could even call it that-“ 

“It’s _true love_ , Rob.” 

“True love my _ass-_ “ 

“Eat shit and die, Rob- he _loves_ her-!” 

The woman who’d been called Janet raised her hands as Trisha fiddled with the remote, “Guys! Settle down! You're going to spoil it for him!”

Diego glanced between them, already regretting everything. He really should’ve listened to Herb. 

“Ha! There we go, episode one. April 1st, 2019.” Trisha grinned, stepping away into the crowd with one more glance back at Diego as the screen fizzed, “Dot actually noticed the anomaly first. We really have her to thank for finding it.” 

Diego’s brows furrowed with confusion, watching as the screen sprung to life. Janet murmured behind him, “This is straight off the infinite switchboard. Don’t tell corporate. Technically we’re not allowed to have these recordings but the betting pool got so crazy back it’s heyday. Back when it was live and not just reruns.”

Diego’s lips twisted, watching the camera pan over a ruined city cluttered with rubble and fire. He didn’t really see the appeal of what looked like a generic post-apocalyptic movie. He’d had enough of the apocalypse in real life. He didn’t need it in his media too. 

He sighed, settling himself in for a long and tiring hour or two of a thing he didn’t really give a shit about. Maybe he could sneak away halfway through and attend that meeting with Herb...

The room was utterly silent. 

Then, a flash of blue on the screen. 

Diego’s brow furrowed. 

Wait… 

Another flash and he leaned forward, eyes wide, breath hitching. His _brother_ , Number Five, tumbled through a portal of blue and white, features unmistakable on the screen. Wait, but that wasn’t- that- 

Five looked around, eyes wide with horror. He turned and ran, stumbling in front of a crushed building and- no, Diego could see the vague shape of what would’ve once been the academy crumbled before him. Five called out, screaming himself hoarse for his family, and didn’t that _hurt_ , “Vanya!” His voice cracked, “Ben!” Five stumbled, “Dad!”

He turned, desperate, “Anyone?” 

His eyes. 

They were so _young_. 

No- this wasn’t- this _couldn’t_ be-

Diego leaned forwards, horror stopping his heart, as Five screamed, calling upon his powers, shaking with the effort as his hands glowed brilliantly, shimmering with a power that went nowhere, “C’mon!” 

After a moment Five stopped, staring around at the destruction surrounding him before falling to his knees, face streaked with ash and tears, “ _Shit_.”

He breathed once, twice, and then his breath turned into a choked sob. 

Little Number Five, he had to be only thirteen, buried his head in his hands, crumpling inwards upon himself, and wept. 

Diego stared. 

A hand tapped him on his shoulder. He looked up. Denise smiled at him, teary eyed. She passed him a handkerchief, “It’s really heartbreaking isn’t it? Just wait until he finds his siblings. It’s just terrible.” 

Diego takes it and he realizes that yes, he does need it. The words he wants to say to her won’t come as Denise adds with a sigh, her words drifting over him, “He buries them after a couple days. I was there when it was live you know and we all didn't think he was going to make it. He really should’ve done it right away. He needed to find food, shelter, and water but he stayed there just looking at them all for so long. Rob said it was to memorize their faces.” 

His brother on the screen is only thirteen at the end of the world, his family dead as he cries, _sobs_ , into his hands, surrounded by a broken ruined world. He was completely oblivious to the fact that an audience had watched him, had laughed and cried, and- and been entertained by his _suffering-_ completely capable of stepping in to help… _completely capable of saving him-_

Diego's fists clench around the handkerchief. Denise keeps talking, “And then he has such a hard time burying them. We all cried. I bet that he wouldn’t last a month, but you know, that goes to show how much luck I have. No one, however, bet that he could make it over forty years but I suppose that just goes to show-“ 

On the screen, little Number Five whimpers. 

Diego stands up suddenly, his chair clattering as everyone flinches backwards. 

Diego turns and he can feel the tears drying on his cheeks and he sees them all, so excited and enthralled by the story of his little brother suffering and starving and _burying his fucking family._

He glares at them and feels his fingers tremble with anger. He manages to spit, “Y- you’re all s- s- sick.” 

He pushes past them, watching them gape with confusion and offense. One man, Rob, protests when he shoves past, “Hey! What’s the big deal, man? Geez.” 

Diego turns, “The- the big deal? Listen here asshole- th- that’s a _kid_ . That’s a thirteen year old boy that you all are watching _suffer_ . An- an actual kid! What the hell is _wrong_ with you? What’s wrong with _all_ of you?”

Diego shakes his head and sniffs, watching some of them glance away shamefaced. All Diego can hear is his little brother’s cries for help. Cries that were never answered.

Again and again, he'd asked for their help. And they had never come to his aid. Well not this time. 

Diego’s jaw locked, his eyes narrowed, and he turned away, fists clenched. 

It was time to end the fucking Comission once and for all. 

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is here: https://ford-ye-fiji.tumblr.com/


End file.
